MANS RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD Does Man Have A

MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD Does Man Have A Responsibility? What Is Our Responsibility? What Is Responsibility?

Responsibility • the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management. • an instance of being responsible • a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible: • a person or thing for which one is responsible: • reliability or dependability, especially in meeting debts or payments.

Responsibility To God • To attempt to list everything for which we are responsible in one sermon would take too long. • It would also be foolish to think the listeners would comprehend the entirety of these things. • However, we may summarize under four headings what those responsibilities are: • Remember these are very general, but they do have importance and include all the other aspects of our responsibility towards God.

Fear God • Solomon wrote: "Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. “ (Ecclesiastes 12: 13). • Peter said to Cornelius in Acts 10: 34, 35: ". . . Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. " • To fear God is to respect God and His power.

Fear God • To fear God is to know God will punish those who do not keep His commandments. • Most people in the religious world do not fear God. • They look upon Him as only a merciful, loving, gracious Being, and because of this one-sided perspective of God, they fail to fear the consequences of unrighteousness. • The apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. . . " (2 Corinthians 5: 11).

Fear God • Paul knew the severity of God and declared this as a reason to preach the Gospel of Christ. • Paul wanted to keep the souls of men from experiencing this severity. • If we fear the consequences of not obeying God , we will earnestly endeavor to please Him.

Love God • Jesus said: ". . . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22: 37). • Many in the religious world believe they love God. • They walk the streets proclaiming: "I LOVE GOD". • They paste the testimony of their love on the bumpers of their automobiles. • But do they really love God? • Do their actions reflect a love for God?

Love God • What did Jesus mean when He said: ". . . with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"? • He meant a total love, a love that consumes us, uses us and wears us out in His service. • Matthew 22: 37 is a command. • Those who truly love God are not "doing Him a favor", but are obeying a command. • Those who love God do so because He first loved us (1 John 4: 19).

Love God • God proved His love for us by giving His only begotten Son (John 3: 16), • Is simply saying, "I love God" sufficient? • Would that be adequate between husbands and wives? • We require some proof of this affection. • “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (John 14: 15)

Love God • God also requires proof of our love for Him. • We demonstrate our love for our Savior by keeping His laws and obeying His commandments. • John wrote: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5: 3).

Obey God • We not only prove our love by our obedience, we have the responsibility of being obedient to Jehovah God. • Solomon's instructions were: "Fear God and keep His commandments". • The Hebrew writer said of Christ in Hebrews 5: 8, 9, "though Jesus was the Son of God, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered…”. • Jesus’ obedience was perfect. • The apostle John wrote that Jesus demonstrated His love for His Father by His obedience (John 14: 31).

Obey God • Christ is our (perfect) example (1 Peter 2: 21). • We are expected to be obedient to God also! • Our responsibility to obey God comes first, before all other commandments, rules, laws, or creeds. • God's commands are never made void, or compelled to take second place behind the doctrines or commandments of men.

Obey God • Peter, when brought before the high priest for having violated his (man's) law (". . . Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us" Acts 5: 28), answered: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5: 29). • Our duty remains the same. • Our eternal life depends upon our attitude toward obeying God.

Worship God • Part of our obedience to God requires us to worship Him. • "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. " (John 4: 23, 24). • God expects us to worship Him.

Worship God • One cannot expect to receive his crown of righteousness while offering half-hearted worship, or even refusing to worship God. • God is worthy of our worship. • 2 Thessalonians 1: 8 tells us that those “who keep not His commandments” will be dealt with harshly. • God has told us how to worship Him, and we must do it His way.

Conclusion • These are four responsibilities we have to God. • Each one must search out diligently what we are to do under each of these subtitles and put them into our lives. • Our soul is our most valuable possession. • We should spend much time in seeing it is prepared for the judgment! • We will be eternally saved if we fulfill these responsibilities